ਜਲਿ ਮਲਿ ਕਾਇਆ ਮਾਜੀਐ ਭਾਈ ਭੀ ਮੈਲਾ ਤਨੁ ਹੋਇ ॥
jal mal kaa-i-aa maajee-ai bhaa-ee bhee mailaa tan ho-ay.
Scrubbing with water, the body can be cleaned, O Siblings of Destiny, but the body becomes dirty again.
ਗਿਆਨਿ ਮਹਾ ਰਸਿ ਨਾਈਐ ਭਾਈ ਮਨੁ ਤਨੁ ਨਿਰਮਲੁ ਹੋਇ ॥੫॥
gi-aan mahaa ras naa-ee-ai bhaa-ee man tan nirmal ho-ay. ||5||
Bathing in the supreme essence of spiritual wisdom, O Siblings of Destiny, the mind and body become pure. ||5||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
You can scrub your body squeaky clean with water, but give it a day, and it needs washing again.
There is a deeper kind of clean, though: bathing your heart in real wisdom.
That kind of clean reaches all the way in, and leaves both heart and body truly fresh.
Water cleans the outside for a day; wisdom cleans all the way in.
jal mal kaa-i-aa maajee-ai... bhee mailaa tan ho-ay — water cleans the body but it soils again; giaan mahaa ras naa-ee-ai... man tan nirmal — bathing in the great essence of wisdom purifies mind and body. A gentle contrast between outer ritual bathing and inner cleansing, evenhanded rather than mocking; wisdom as the deeper bath.
A Question to Sit With
What is a kind of clean that lasts longer than a shower?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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